Beyond Being Tourists

My husband and I have traveled together since the time we met in July 2007. We began as tourists, traveling for pleasure, visiting places out of curiosity.  We became more serious travelers when we bought an RV, rented out our condos, and cruised through forty-nine American states, nine Canadian provinces, and six Mexican states. It’s all chronicled in the book Carolina: Cruising to an American Dream. The RV gave us the wherewithal to become more than tourists. We became explorers, adventurers, and even pilgrims.

An Explorer is defined as a person who combs an area for discovery. When we became Elite Members of Thousand Trails (a nationwide network of campgrounds) and upgraded our RV to a 37.5-foot motorhome towing a dinghy, we stayed three to four weeks at a place. This gave us the chance to explore an area more completely. I would research the places nearby and schedule daily explorations of the areas within three hours of our base camp.

In Ontario, Canada, for example, we saw all four different faces of the province: a government hub in Ottawa, a bustling metropolitan center in Toronto, a famous tourist spot (Niagara), and the rural town where we were camped. In Europe, we got to go to three countries from our base in the small town of Oberstaufen in Germany. The trains allowed us to visit Switzerland (St. Gallen), Lichtenstein (Vaduz), and Innsbruck (Austria).

An Adventurer, on the other hand, is a person who has, or seeks, activities or places for excitement or an unusual experience, despite the risks they may entail. I must admit that Bill is more of an adventurer than I am. He used to scuba dive, ski, fly a plane, etc. I just play with my smartphone or laptop, an armchair sort of a girl.  I’ve tried playing tennis and pickleball, but they didn’t like me. Does riding the helicopter in Kauai or taking our RV to the Arctic Circle in the Yukon count?

When we stumbled upon the Worthington Glacier on the road to Valdez, Alaska, Bill went up to climb it while I stayed behind, scared I might hurt myself or be frozen. When we went with his high school friends for a reunion in Crested Butte, Colorado, he went wild river rafting with his friends while I stayed behind to write about the reunion instead. At Grandfather’s Mountain near the Blue Ridge Parkway, Bill negotiated the Mile-High Swinging Bridge while I took his photo.

A Pilgrim is another kind of traveler. This is a person who journeys, especially a long distance, to some sacred place as an act of devotion or even as an original settler. Once, being both Catholics, we diverted from our planned itinerary to Minnesota and turned west instead of north to visit the Grotto of the Redemption in the northeastern corner of Iowa. It was off the beaten path, but we wanted to see the complex of nine grottos made from forty-three different kinds of gems individually gathered and built entirely by the hands of three men.

A friend and I became accidental pilgrims in Eastern Europe. We were in Razlog, Bulgaria visiting a beautiful Eastern Orthodox Church in nearby Bansko when she suddenly had a yearning to find a Catholic Church. The nearest one was in Skopje, Macedonia, three and a half hours away, where Mother Teresa was born. We hired a taxi, prayed at the Chapel attached to her house, and visited the Church of the Black Madonna where she heard her calling at 18 in Letnice, Kosovo, an hour and a half away. The way home was through Nis, Serbia, birthplace of the first Christian Roman Emperor and Saint, Constantine the Great.

Indeed, we both had become explorers but I will not be the adventurer that Bill is. But we hope to be more of pilgrims. It is time for deepening our faith in this phase of our lives. Which of the three kinds of traveler do you want to be?

Accidental Pilgrims in the Balkans

Jingjing and I at the Chapel of the Mother Teresa House in Skopje, Macedonia

Sometimes we visit a place because we long to see it. Sometimes we go because of a whim. I went to the Balkans for practical reasons. Jingjing, the PR strategist who helped launch my book in the Philippines, was waiting to take me up on my promise of a break.  And this cheapskate found a promo that offered a week at the Balkan Jewel Resort for unbelievably few timeshare points.

There were pros and cons. October (2015) would be cold for women from the tropics. My husband could not go. And, Balkan countries are among the least visited in Europe. Still, Jingjing wanted to go; it'll add to her goal of 65 countries by the time she’s 65 in 2018. At 67, I needed catching up with just 45. And, it would be off the beaten path, curiosity at a low price.

the views from our windows

Jingjing arrived in Sofia from Manila an hour earlier and found the hotel driver who had a sign bearing my name. Her trademark smile warmly greeted my arrival from Phoenix. Midway on the two-hour drive to Razlog, we asked for a food stop. Our driver fidgeted, “No English.” Luckily, out of nowhere, the McDonalds’ arches appeared like a double rainbow with a pot of burgers more precious than gold.

We were pleasantly surprised that our studio was more like a suite. But it was in the morning when views from our windows completely blew us away. They were of the postcard-pretty Pirin Mountains bathed in the splendor of fall. The bountiful brunch buffet led us to where jovial locals boisterously babbled all morning. Then we splashed at the indoor pool and tried the exotic ceramic spa lounge chairs.

sheep on the road to Bansko

Razlog is a ski resort area and Bansko, only seven minutes away, is a cultural city. The duo is Bulgarians’ winter destination of choice. When a shuttle brought us to downtown Bansko, the only traffic we encountered was a large herd of cute sheep with round butts. With just animated gestures and without words, Driver#2 led us to the town’s pride, the Holy Trinity Church.

Holy Trinity Church in Bansko, Bulgaria

The Eastern Orthodox Church looked small from the outside. They built it sunken below the ground to deflect Turkish imperialist ambition. Inside, the smell of centuries-old white fir was distinctive. The wooden-framed church was a masterpiece, richly colored and decorated like no church I have ever seen before. It looked more like a festive Eastern Opera House just before its grand opening. There were brilliant frescoes, twelve radiant pillars (for the Apostles) and an altar-piece of glittering icons.

I didn’t expect Jingjing’s reaction, “I wonder where we can find a Catholic church.” In a week of rest, she yearned for a familiar place of worship. Alas, it would
not be in nearby Sofia or Plovdiv. We searched the Web that night and found that Mother Teresa, who would soon brightly a saint (11 months later), was an Albanian. She was born in Skopje (when it was still part of Yugoslavia) 3 ½ hours away! Always up for an adventure, Jingjing cried, “Taralets,” Tagalog colloquialism for “Let’s go!”

the countryside on the road to Macedonia

The Resort arranged an inexpensive taxi ride for us. Alas, Driver #3 also spoke no English, so we were left with admiring Bulgarian hillsides that turned into huge canvasses of fall’s palette. As we approached Macedonia, it became greener even if those black poplars, standing tall and elegant in rows, had shed their leaves.  Our driver breezed through the border. Balkan languages seem to have a lot in common.

When we checked in at Ibis Skopje, everyone spoke English! “Are you interested in a small church another 1 ½ hours away in Letnica, Kosovo?” the receptionist asked. Also part of Yugoslavia at the time, it was where Mother Teresa’s mother brought her when she was just 17. There she heard her calling to serve the poorest of the poor. Jingjing was like a kid just told she was going to Disney. Of course, there were another excited "Taralets!" Good thing the taxi ride was also inexpensive.

new identical homes and vestiges of war in Kosovo

We had an hour to spare and hurried to the Mother Teresa Memorial House some blocks away. They built it on the grounds of the church of her baptism, the day she recognizes as her birthday, a day after she was born. At the Chapel, her photo was at the center of floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall glass windows laced with intricate ironworks. Natural light streamed through, enveloping us in delicate shadows. We were in awe, and silent prayer became our only conversation. At the House, we posed by her childhood bed and imagined her veined wrinkled hand writing those loving letters from Calcutta. What an enormous contribution the Balkans gave to the world!

Back at the hotel, a muscular middle-aged man was waiting for us. We were dumbfounded when he asked, “My name is Draghi. May I ask why are you going to Letnica?” Driver #4 spoke incredibly good English! He deftly handled the strict scrutiny at the border checkpoint. Kosovo remains a disputed territory even after her declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 upon the dissolution of Yugoslavia. A sad Draghi told us the horrific story as we made our way through war-torn villages: “Look at what the war did. There’s another skeleton of a house. See those writings on the walls.” The Kosovo War left over ten thousand dead and over a million displaced.

Then he slowed down to show us a large embankment perpendicular to the road, painted with a map. “Kosovo is Little Albania; ninety percent Albanian,” he said. “But they are Kosovar Albanians who wanted to be a separate country.” With a Muslim majority, there were many mosques. But it was the identical houses, in pairs, trios, even fives, that caught our interest. “It is a tradition of regular familial reunions. Brothers live side by side, in exact looking homes," he explained.

Jingjing and I ar the Church of the Black Madonna in Letnica, Kosovo

Millenium Cross at night in Skopje, Macedonia

In no time, we reached Letnica, a semi-deserted hamlet of a handful of households. Every August, it comes alive as thousands of people, including Croats returning to homes they had abandoned, come to celebrate the Feast of the Black Madonna. Inside the simple white church sitting atop a hill, Mother Teresa’s unadorned photo hangs near the uncomplicated altar. Then we thought we saw her ghost and got goose bumps as an old woman, wrinkled and bent like her, hobbled her way into the church. Draghi patiently took all our photos.

By nightfall, as we were we were approaching Skopje, a cross shining brightly high up in the evening sky caused Jingjing and me to look at each other, transfixed and entranced. Draghi noticed this and excitedly drove us to a place from where we can take better pictures. My Nikon just couldn’t capture the magic. “It’s the 217-foot tall Millenium Cross,” he was proud to say, “built on top of Vodno Mountain to celebrate 2,000 years of Christianity. It is the sign that unites all our faiths.”  He was right. Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, Christianity is one and the same.

Over an authentic Macedonian dinner, a fusion of Turkish and Greek tastes, Draghi suggested we continue to Nis, Serbia. "It would probably add just five hours to your trip back to Razlog, but that’s where Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, was born!” he said. We followed his suggestion, but borders between Kosovo and Serbia remain closed, so we had to go around east and north of Skopje. With Driver #3, the three-hour trip was quiet. We sorely missed Draghi's stories.

Jingjing at the Church of Constantine and Helena in Nis, Serbia

We learned that Constantine’s father was a Roman Emperor who had to marry another woman to legitimize his rule. Helena, his mother, was a consort sent away to Nis. But by the time his father died, Constantine had become a legendary warrior and was acclaimed Emperor. He converted to Christianity; History credits Helena with the guidance that led to Constantine’s great reign. For this and her acts of piety and kindness, all of Christendom later also revered her as a saint. It was good for Jingjing to know. Her real name is Elena, a single parent who raised not one son but three plus a daughter. At the newly built Church of Constantine and Helena in Nis, she found comfort.

All the way back to Razlog, we saw more glistening crosses atop hills. By week’s end, we realized we had experienced more than we had ever planned. Jingjing added four new countries to her list. I loved Balkan affordability. And Draghi is a name we will never forget.  But our final takeaway was more precious than all these. The Balkans gave new meaning to the cliche “It’s not about the destination; it’s the journey.” Our trip turned into a search for something sacred and deeply personal. We became more than tourists in the Balkans. We were accidental pilgrims. 

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Out of Luck in Nis, Serbia

Mediana, closed for renovation in Nis, Serbia

From our little pilgrimage in Kosovo, we had to return to Skopje for the night because the next morning we would be entering Serbia from Macedonia, not Kosovo. Serbia is a country that was once a Kingdom, central to the Balkans, and to the Yugoslavia created to unite the region. After so many struggles, the Serbia of today is a landlocked country with many borders that include Macedonia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro. It also claims a border with Albania because Kosovo is still a disputed territory. It was only in 2008 when the parliament of Kosovo, Serbia's former southern province with an Albanian ethnic majority, declared independence. 

the scenery on the road from Skopje to Nis

We decided on visiting Nis, just a 2 ½ hour drive from Skopje because it is the birthplace of Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor. But the drive back to our base in Bulgaria was a long 4 hours, so we had only about 5 hours in Nis. We went directly to the Tourism Office to plot the best use of our little time but, lo and behold, the Turistička Organizacija Niš was closed that day! It was a bad beginning.

Christogram Monument

MEDIANA

We quickly asked how to get to Mediana, a luxurious suburbia of old Nis, built during the rule of Constantine the Great (306-337), later declared a saint by the Orthodox Church.  He ruled both the west and the east so well that the city of Constantinople was named after him. He was also the one who called the First Council of Nicaea when the Nicene Creed began to be professed. After Constantine’s rule, the Mediana became the temporary residence of 6 Roman emperors on their journey towards the East until the 4^th century. Sadly, the Old City was closed for renovation! Another bad experience!

Monument to Liberators

CHRISTOGRAM MONUMENT

Constantine was the first Roman emperor to claim conversion to Christianity. The Christogram Monument celebrates this. In 312, the year of the battle of Milvian Bridge near Rome, Constantine had a vision of the Christogram sign with the note "In hoc signo vinces" or “In this sign, you will conquer.” We looked for the Monument all over the city and failed. When I got back to the US, I found out that it was just in front of the Nis Fortress, just behind the Monument of the Liberators, on the bank of the Nisava River. I had taken a picture of the entrance to the Fortress but failed to go close enough to see the Monument! Our third bad experience...and the worst!

MONUMENT TO THE LIBERATORS

It was good the King Milan Square whose central piece is the Monument to the Liberators is just across from the Tourism Office. The famous statue presents the periods of wars of liberation waged against the Turks, Bulgarians, and Germans. It contains inscriptions on the struggles for liberation from the Turks (1874-7) and the occupation and the liberation of the city in WWI (1915-8).

SKULL TOWER

some of the remaining skulls in the Skull Tower

the Chapel that houses the Skull Tower

Fortunately, we were able to locate the Skull Tower, a unique monument built after the Battle of Cegar between the Serbian revolutionaries and the Turks.  Even though they had won Cegar Hill, the Turk vizier of Nis found out that the leader of the Serbian troops deliberately created an explosion that killed everyone around, Serbs and Turks alike. He ordered the collection and skinning of the heads of the Serb victims and the building of a tower to house them. They even built the horrific monument along the road to Constantinople, as a warning to anyone rising against the Ottoman Empire. The 10-foot tall tower is rectangular with 56 rows of 952 skulls. Over time, most of them were stolen; today there are only 54.  

OLD AND NEW CHURCHES

Church of Constantine and Helena

The Church of St. Nicholas stands as a witness to the turbulent history of Nis. To the west of the current church are remnants of the previous church, demolished in 1737 as a consequence of the Turkish outburst of anger provoked by the disobedience of Serbian population. The present church was erected in 1863 as a Turkish mosque but it became an Orthodox church after liberation from the Turks.

At the end of our day in Nis, because we could not find the Christogram monument, we proceeded to the Church of St. Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena, located in a new part of the city, Bulevard Nemanjici, Park St Sava. It was built in 1999 in honor of the most revered son of Nis and his mother, Helena. It is a beautiful church with grounds perfect for strolling.

Unfortunately, we saw only half of what we intended to see in Nis. Not walking on the Mediana and not seeing the Christogram Monument were the biggest disappointments.  It was too bad that I had not planned the visit well. But we were still blessed for getting a feel of both old and modern Serbia, especially of her struggles that have haunted her past and that continues today.

Our Lifestyle Adventures: Why Macedonia Should Not Be "Least Visited"

Alexander on Macedonia Square

Macedonia is a Balkan state bordered by Kosovo to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, and Albania to the west. Only 3 ½ hours away from Razlog, Bulgaria where we were based, we wanted to go to Skopje, Macedonia’s capital, mainly because it is the birthplace of the much admired Mother Teresa whose work gave her the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize and beatification as the "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta." A second miracle was credited to her intercession by Pope Francis last December 2015, paving the way for her sainthood in the Catholic Church.

fall color, leaving Bulgaria

Balkan Jewel Resort hired a car and driver for us. Unfortunately, unlike in Malta, there was no medium for conversation; he did not speak any English, and we did not speak a word of Bulgarian! The drive was surprisingly lovely because fall colors were still everywhere as we left and then trees I had not seen before punctuated Macedonian hillsides. I couldn’t stop taking pictures, so the drive seemed shorter than what it was supposed to be. At the border, I was a little nervous, completely unaware of the talks between our driver and the heavily-armed men. It was good the Balkan languages have the same roots, so our driver was able to negotiate our safe crossing.

unusual trees along the way in Macedonia

MOTHER TERESA MEMORIAL 

We wasted no time going to the Mother Teresa Memorial, just a few blocks from our hotel. First we were so delighted with her statue in front of the House, the lovely gift shop on the ground floor and the magnificent trees behind. Then a gracious lady led us to her chapel. And as we entered, we were entranced in complete awe. We felt that, if this was the only thing we would see, our trip was already beyond well worth it. There can be no words to describe the place well. Even the picture does not capture the moment. At the museum, we touched the bed and table she used as a child. And there was a lot of memorabilia about a life well lived and aptly honored.

the Chapel of Mother Teresa in Skopje

An Albanian Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary, Mother Teresa was born in Skopje then part of the Kosovo in the Ottoman Empire. She lived in Macedonia for eighteen years, after which she moved to Ireland. But it was in India where she lived for most of her adult life and where she founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation. In 2012, it consisted of over 4,500 sisters in 133 countries and ran hospices and homes for the disadvantaged. Members vow chastity, poverty, obedience, and "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor,"

Mother Teresa's Home

MACEDONIA SQUARE AND MONUMENTS

Skopje had been inhabited since at least 4000 BC and remains of Neolithic settlements have been found within the old Kale Fortress that overlooks the city. After that, the city became held by many conquerors who won through many conflicts and wars: Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians, and Serbs. During WWII, it was captured by Bulgaria for the Axis powers but in 1944, it became the capital of Macedonia as part of Yugoslavia. Skopje developed rapidly after World War II, but this growth was interrupted in 1963 when a disastrous earthquake hit the city.  In 1911, it became the capital of an independent Macedonia.

Kale Fortress at night

Independence was declared in Macedonia Square, which would have been a short walk from our hotel if not for the undergoing redevelopment and the many new buildings being constructed around it. In 2011, a striking fountain with a monument of Alexander the Great was unveiled, marking the 20th anniversary of their independence. The magnificent Porta Macedonia lords over the pedestrian street leading to the Square on the opposite side from our hotel. But, aside from this Square, we were awed by the many gorgeous monuments (about 50, they say) of men who led various periods of Macedonia struggles strategically placed all around the city of half a million.

Porta Macedonia

THE MILLENIUM CROSS

Unfortunately, we ran out of time to go to the Millenium Cross, about 35 minutes from the city center. But it shines so brightly at night from many places around the city no one would miss it. The landmark is a 217-foot high cross situated on the highest point of the Vodno Mountain, constructed to serve as a memorial to 2,000 years of Christianity in Macedonia and the world. Construction began in 2002 through donations from the Orthodox Church, the Macedonian government, and Macedonians from all over the world. A smaller cross had been on the spot at the time of the Ottomans. It was so mesmerizing to see and again, the pictures do not tell the whole story!

Millenium Cross at night

I do not want to leave this post without talking about where we stayed, Hotel Ibis. We chose because it is a reliable mid-value European hotel chain. And we were not disappointed. Not only was it next to Macedonia Square. It was also a bright, modern, efficient lodging option that seemed to target tourists or business travelers on the go. Although Jingjing and I are ordinarily far from this profile, during our two weeks together we were those! Furthermore, all the staff spoke excellent English. They helped us maximize our one-day, one-night stay and were instrumental in our trip to Kosovo (next post).

Hotel Ibis

Our Lifestyle Adventures: A Perfect Base for "Roads Less Traveled"

the view from our bedroom

Our twenty-two hours in Rome was a welcome pause to our adventures in “roads less travelled.” Tunisia, with its terrorist attack, has now become one, too. Even Malta, with its stunning sights, is included in the list of “least visited” countries of Europe. The next country we visited was Bulgaria in the southeastern corner of Europe. It was the perfect base for our tours around other Balkan states included in places off the beaten path.

THE BALKAN JEWEL RESORT 

our comfy beds

our dining area and kitchen 

We were based in Razlog, Bulgaria, two hours away from Sofia, the capital. Jingjing and I loved our room at the Balkan Jewel Resort, part of the time share properties in our membership at Diamond Resorts International. We rested well in our fully furnished and equipped one-bedroom apartment in this jewel of a resort. Amenities included an outdoor pool for summer and a spa center with an indoor pool and heated benches. It was the Bulgarian breakfast spread, f different kinds of cheeses, sausages, sauces and fruits, that gave us a rousing meal every morning, starting our day with lively locals enjoying their staycations!

our living room

Bulgaria is a country in southeastern Europe. With a territory of 42,855 square miles and a population of more than 7 million, it is Europe's 16th-largest country. The Thracians occupied the land in ancient history and later the Persians, Greeks and Romans. From 681 AD, the First Bulgarian Empire dominated most of the Balkans and was the cultural hub.

the view from our dining area

With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in the 14th century, the Ottomans ruled for five hundred years. The Third Bulgarian State emerged after the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) but with conflicts with its neighbors, Bulgaria aligned with Germany in WWWI and II. In 1946, it became part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc and in 1989, when the ruling Communist Party allowed multi-party elections, Bulgaria became a democracy and is now a member of the EU.

RAZLOG, BANSKO AND THE PIRINS

a flock of sheep  

But the best thing about the Balkan Jewel Resort is the spectacular views of the Pirin mountain range. The beautiful mountains extend about 40 km northwest-southeast and are widely protected as the Pirin National Park. Razlog lies in Razlog Valley between the Pirin Mountains to the south and the higher Rila Mountains to the north. The valley is populated by many ski resorts like Balkan Jewel although most of them were empty since the ski season had not yet begun. But a resort shuttle happily took us to a small Sunday market in town and a drive through scenes like a maze of sheep butts.

Sveta Troitsa Church

The shuttle also took us to charming Bansko, an important tourism and winter sports centre, only ten minutes away on the northeast slopes of the Pirin Mountain Range.  Our friendly driver who speaks no English took us to the town's pride, the magnificent wooden Orthodox Church, Sveta Troitsa Church (1835). Surrounded by a high and thick stone wall, it hosts Bansko’s major landmark: the 30-meter high clock tower.

the marvelous wooden Orthodox Church of Bansko, Bulgaria

Until Sofia’s Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was completed in 1912, it was Bulgaria’s largest church. Inside you will be amazed by the floors, pillars, and the many icons fashioned out of wood. Bansko is famous for an icon-painting school established in the 18th century to spread the art by word of mouth. You may find many artworks around Bulgaria created by talents from the school.

the indoor spa

Our Bulgarian home in this jewel of a resort was the base from which we toured the other least visited states in the Balkans: Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia. We even reached Thessaloniki, "the other Greece.” If we had more time for other tours, we would have probably also visited Albania and even crossed into Istanbul. We were so lucky to have found this perfect base, a jewel of a resort, from which we got a whiff of life in Bulgaria and a plethora of discoveries on “roads less travelled.”

Wonderings on Wanderings: Preparing for 2015!

2015 is fast approaching and so the time has come to think about our dreams and hopes for the coming year. Actually, I only have a few items on my list but they are huge, significant, and will certainly take a whole lot of effort to make sure they are not on the list again for 2016. I am determined to make them happen next year. Here they are, from easy to difficult:

1. We will travel again to eighteen destinations in nine countries, fifteen destinations with Bill and three with BFFs Jingjing and Ann Everything has been booked except for Morocco and Macedonia, that is why this is the easiest to accomplish. The only thing to do is to keep healthy so we are able to make and enjoy the trips!

     March 18               Dubai, United Arab Emirates

     March 21               Rome, Florence, and Pompeii, Italy

     March 28               Malaga, Sevilla, Granada, Spain + Morocco

     April 4                   Nice, Cannes, Mougins, France + Genoa, Italy

     July 2                     Calgary, Canada

     September 12-26   Kauai and Maui, Hawaii

     Oct. 10                  Malta

     Oct. 17                  Bulgaria + Macedonia

And if my book will be launched, the following two cities will be added:

     May 27                     Manila, Philippines

     June 26                    Seattle, Washington

2. I have submitted the second draft of my book to my publisher. Even if it does not get the nod, I will work hard to make sure it still makes it to production by February. If it does, then I would be able to launch the book by May with the indicated tentative launch schedule above. We not only have to decide which other cities to launch in but also when and how.

There is a whole lot of marketing activities to support the launches, including solidifying my online platform which now only has my Blog, my Facebook Fan Page, and a beginning Twitter account. I have yet to launch my website, initiate Instagram, and revive my LinkedIn account. I may also look at Pinterest and YouTube. This will all require a lot of effort. I really don’t know if I can do it but I will try.

Bill and Carol @ the tennis court, wearing their uniforms

3. Doing both of the above should be a near impossibility! So the most difficult, while we are juggling the two goals, will be to keep healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And not just on my own, but with Bill most certainly. This is why we have decided to stay put at Viewpoint. It makes everything a lot easier. Transferring to a new home will have to be postponed to a later year. And we have to continue with our new-found healthy eating regimen (the 80/20 Rule of Healthy Eating) and daily exercises of either gym or tennis with regular visits to our doctor and our parish.

I know it is an ambitious plan but, if all things push through, I promise to retire again soon!